Write a 12-15 page essay (double spaced) on Norenzayan and the Dalai Lama. Utilize this thesis to formulate your paper. Thesis: This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of Ara Norenzayan and the

Write a 12-15 page essay (double spaced) on Norenzayan and the Dalai Lama. Utilize this thesis to formulate your paper. 

Thesis: This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of Ara Norenzayan and the Dalai Lama's perspectives concerning the role of consciousness and empathy in relation to religious attitudes. The two scholars hold different views regarding the evolutionary basis of religious emotions, with the Dalai Lama suggesting that natural selection cannot account for such emotions as compassion, whereas Norenzayan et al. contend that cultural evolution and natural selection can. Norenzayan emphasizes the importance of culture and socialization in shaping religious attitudes and thinking, whereas the Dalai Lama highlights the significance of individual contemplative practices in fostering these processes. Despite both scholars acknowledging the criticality of cultivating cognitive processes for personal and social transformation, this paper posits that the Dalai Lama's approach offers a more comprehensive and holistic path to nurturing consciousness and empathy through contemplative practices that are grounded in religious traditions, rendering it the more optimal option. 

In addition to the 2 course texts, you will find 5 additional sources, and reference 3 of the 5 in your essay. Please see attachments for the 2 course texts and the 5 additional sources that is already in the bibliography. As well as additional information that can assist you in writing your paper. Here are also two readings that provide information about scientific and religious perspectives on evolution. These can also count as course readings (which are separate from the 3 out of the 5 that you will utilize from the bibliography. )

Dennett “ priming Darwin’s Pump” 

McGrath “ The Deep Structure of the Universe”